Today we worked on the first lesson on a short problem solving unit. We focused today on the basic steps to solving a problem:

• Identify the problem and its details
• Determine a potential solution
• Implement the solution
• Evaluate the results
• Repeat the final steps if unsuccessful
• Ask for help if necessary

Most classes didn't quite realize initially the importance of the first step, though it seems to be somewhat obvious.

Our problem today was simple: three individuals had to get three water bottles into their designated square. The heart of the problem was straightforward: there were only five water bottles. With each attempt, students in groups evaluated the situation to determine what new problem there might be (we were changing rules regularly to make it more challenging -- and, let's face it, to make it more entertaining) and then tried implementing their solution the next time around.